How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

"How do you step from the top of a 100 foot pole?" This is a question from a famous story in Zen literature.

The main thought in the poem is that you cannot sit and wait while perched on the pole, you have to take a step forward and make a choice to do something. You have to take the risk and know that there may be a concrete floor waiting for you when you fall, but there might just be a soft landing.

So how do you actually step from this 100-foot pole? Do you just take a leap of faith? Do you prepare first and hope that this is enough? The only time to step from the pole is when you have the courage to do so. You cannot hope that a wind might push you or you'll fall accidentally. You must first be prepared to take the risk.

Courage is the main word here. There is a quote by Sven Goran Eriksson that says, "The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."